Extracurricular Activities in Higher Education and the Promotion of Reflective Learning for Sustainability

Abstract

The objective of higher education institutions is to integrate reflective learning that contributes to the development of a greater awareness among individuals of the importance of facing the 21st century’s sustainability challenges. This paper analyzes the impact of an extracurricular volunteer activity in Tangier, Morocco in the development of student reflection at a Spanish university. To this end, two objectives were proposed: (1) to explore the students’ primary reflections of the experience, and (2) analyze the students’ perceptions of the importance of participating in the experience in order to develop reflective learning. In the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 students who participated in the volunteer activity. Data analysis was carried out using Iramuteq software to conduct a descending hierarchical classification (DHC), and MAXQDA software to conduct a constant comparison analysis. This research highlights the value of voluntary extracurricular activities in the development of reflections that guide change in the beliefs, attitudes, and daily behaviors of students that ultimately result in sustainability. Due to this, not only is it considered essential that students participate in social projects, but also that they undertake these projects with peers and instructors who can create environments of support and trust.

Cross-Disciplinary Analysis of Cooperative Learning Dimensions Based on Higher Education Students’ Perceptions

“…These results highlight, among other studies, that cooperative learning creates positive interpersonal relationships which are characterized by personal and academic support [3,4,14]. In this regard, promoting interaction within the group of students, fosters relationships through socialization and learning [66][67][68].…”

Analysis of Psychometric Properties of the Quality and Satisfaction Questionnaire Focused on Sustainability in Higher Education

“…As justified by Vilches and Gil [77], sustainability in the curriculum does not imply including sustainability content on the syllabus, but rather involves generic changes in the conception of the educational process. For this reason, it is highly relevant to integrate sustainable educational quality from the planning stage of higher studies and in the different subjects, since most university curricula do not take into consideration the objective of educating for a sustainable society [78], and that does not only depend on individuals' interest, but also on their educational development, both within higher education institutions and their family units. Sustainability, understood as an integral part of the higher education management system, must be promoted from higher education institutions, which should serve as useful management models of sustainable practices that can be extended to all fields of society.…”

Effective Teaching and Activities of Excellent Teachers for the Sustainable Development of Higher Design Education

“…(T2) "I would adopt rolling teaching, which means that the weekly curricular topic is adjusted according to the competence and performance of students." (T5) HEIs aim to integrate reflective learning to enhance self-value and personal courage to face the challenges brought by sustainability in the 21st century [74]. With rapid changes, such as educational reform and flipped classrooms, the traditional teaching model featuring individual teacher's top-down instruction has been changed.…”